RELEASE: Monsanto harnesses digital logistics transformation with JDA

As the digital transformation continues across the supply chain, sustainable agriculture company Monsanto identified a need to standardize end-to-end transportation processes globally to drive future customer interactions and improve customer experiences, while meeting their ever-changing needs and expectations. Monsanto selected JDA Software, Inc. as its partner to help realize its multiyear vision for its logistics organization.

As a result, Monsanto has completed an impressive three-year journey to deploy the full scope of JDA Transportation Management solutions across transportation procurement, planning and execution, advanced analytics, and mobility. JDA Transportation Management standardizes end-to-end transportation processes across all the company’s regions, leading to data driven decision-making while improving the visibility in logistics operations. Due to its impressive deployment success, Frost & Sullivan has awarded Monsanto with a 2018 Manufacturing Leadership award which recognizes an elite group of leaders who are shaping the future of global manufacturing.

Driving Supply Chain Excellence

Headquartered in St. Louis, Monsanto is a global modern agricultural company and operates in multiple facilities in more than 70 countries worldwide where physical movement of goods takes place. Its sustainable agriculture products include seeds, plant biotechnology traits and crop protection chemicals. The company has over 30 brands aimed at helping farmers produce the food, feed, fiber, and fuel they need while using natural resources more efficiently.

As Monsanto serves the agricultural market, seasonality plays a crucial factor in supply chain and logistics operations. Logistics processes require responsiveness to meet time-sensitive customer demands while this pressure is exacerbated by Monsanto’s continuing volume growth in its global markets. Road transportation is a significant contributor to operational complexity considering the company’s current go-to-market strategy of producing and suppling products locally within row crops, their largest business segment.

Monsanto has built a reputation based on delivering high-quality sustainable agriculture products, as well as outstanding customer service. “Delivery experience is a key influencer to the overall customer service rating. As the transportation and logistics industry continues to transform, in tandem with sales volume growth in certain regions, we need to make sure we are supporting that growth with improved responsiveness, while remaining efficient,” said Prasad Juvekar, global logistics lead at Monsanto. “By integrating JDA Transportation Management with track and trace platforms, Monsanto’s ability to serve our customers improved through the increased visibility into our transportation decisions. Overall, our supply chain strategy empowers our employees to act with speed and agility in making logistics and transportation decisions — while also guaranteeing that everyone is acting in the best financial interests of our company, based on a shared set of values and priorities.”

The JDA platform also provides a common architecture for all Monsanto’s global shipments. Looking forward, Monsanto has begun to enable real-time visibility of customer shipments into their Customer Service platforms. JDA also provides a foundation to execute a long-term vision of providing differentiated services across a variety of customer segments.

“Implementing six JDA solutions across Monsanto’s global operations has required close collaboration between Monsanto and JDA, and we’re thrilled to see their results honored by Frost & Sullivan as a manufacturing best practice example,” said Cary VandenAvond, president, North American manufacturing, logistics and 3PL, at JDA. “We’re proud of the results that have been achieved by bringing JDA’s experts in technology, education, cloud and other areas together with Monsanto’s world-class logistics and transportation team. This is an implementation that will deliver positive results in both customer service and financial returns for years to come. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of this initiative, which will set the stage for Monsanto’s continued global leadership in sustainable agriculture.”

Monsanto honored by Frost & Sullivan for manufacturing success

Monsanto is a 2018 Manufacturing Leadership Award winner, and will be honored on June 13, 2018, at the Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala. Now in its thirteenth year, these awards honor companies and individual leaders that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. In addition, the awards honor technology providers that have assisted ML Awards winners in achieving transformational breakthroughs. JDA is a ML Awards Partner Winner, recognized for Monsanto’s deployment success.